Always There For You
by erbby17
Summary: Two young boys...a poor village...how do they become members of the greatest mercenary group in Japan, the Shichinintai? Bankotsu and Jakotsu's past revealed! Yaoi BanXJa
1. Chapter 1

Woot woot...**Erbby** has a second story! I know, I know, it's been quite a while since I put up my first story, but I still had to finish this one (and I'm not even _done_ with this one yet!), but I got impatient and decided to break this up into chapters! So this is my new **Inuyasha** story starring **Bankotsu** and **Jakotsu** of the Shichinintai...it is **Yaoi** (in the later chapters) and there is some **violence** and **language**...so..._Disclaimer_ anyone?

I do **not** own Inuyahsa, Bankotsu, Jakotsu, or the Shihinintai...they are property of Rumiko Takahashi-san and their other respected owners. I just like to write stories about them! **Also**...keep in mind of the ages...Jakotsu is roughly three years older than Bankotsu in this story, and Jakotsu's siblings are: Sister (2 years older than Jakotsu); Brother (5 years older than Jakotsu). And, I do **not** support child abuse...it is a horrible occurance in this day and age...it is only in my story for interesting background story! Now, if you will, please enjoy **Erbby's** first chapter to..._Always There For You._

* * *

The moon was full that night. A woman ran with her three children to a small, one room shack on the mountain side.

"Is the baby here yet?" the woman asked, running into the house. Sitting on the floor was a pregnant woman in labor with a man by her side consoling her.

"No, not yet, Ruri-san," the man said.

"Oh, I hope it's a girl," Ruri exclaimed. Her three children stared at the woman in pain. The youngest one, a boy, looked up at his mother, pulling on her sleeve.

"Haha-ue, what will the baby be called?" he asked. She looked down at her child and snorted.

"How should I know, Jakotsu," she snarled. Jakotsu looked down at the floor in shame.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He then heard a slight laugh from the pregnant woman. He looked up at her.

"Thank you for your concern, Jakotsu. I'll be sure to give the baby a fitting name, just for you," she said. Jakotsu smiled, joy filling his every pore.

"Thank you, Hanako-san," he said.

Suddenly, she let out a piercing scream.

"The baby's coming!" cried the man. Many minutes later, the three children heard the scream of the newborn baby.

"Well, let us see her," Ruri yelled excitedly. The man turned his head to look at Ruri.

"I'm sorry, Ruri-san," he said, holding the baby in his arms. Hanako lifted up her head.

"Akira…what's wrong with my baby," she said, worrying filling her voice. Akira shook his head, smiling.

"Oka-san, what's wrong with the baby," Ruri's daughter said. She down looked at her daughter and shook her head.

"I don't know, Haru-chan," she said. Akira turned around, presenting the baby to Ruri and her children.

"Ruri, it's not a girl," he said smiling. Ruri's oldest child smiled.

"Then it's a boy!" he said. He looked up at his mother. "It's a boy, Haha-ue, just like me and Jakotsu!"

Ruri snorted once more. "Well, I'm happy for you, Kioshi. You're possibly the smartest boy ever figuring that out for yourself," she said, a sarcastic tone filling her voice. Kioshi bowed his head down in shame.

"Well, Hanako-san! What are you going to name him?" Jakotsu asked. Hanako stared at Jakotsu.

"I don't know, Jakotsu," she said. Jakotsu smiled.

"I think it should be like mine!" he said. Ruri stared at her son.

"Jakotsu, let Hanako name her own child," she said.

"No, Ruri-san, it's alright. I told Jakotsu that I would name the baby for him," she said. She then turned her head to Jakotsu. "Something that sounds like Jakotsu…" she said.

"Hanako, please, you don't want a name like Jakotsu. Go choose a name you like," Ruri said.

Hanako stared at Ruri. "Ruri-san, I like Jakotsu's idea. He's a smart little boy," she said. Jakotsu looked at Hanako and smiled. She returned the smile and stared lovingly down at her baby.

"Something that sounds like Jakotsu…" she said aloud. She then gasped happily. "I've got a name!" She turned to Jakotsu and smiled. "Bankotsu," she said.

Jakotsu stared at Hanako and thought of the name. _Bankotsu_, he thought to himself. He smiled and nodded his head. "I like it, Hanako-san!" he said. Jakotsu walked over to the new born child and placed his hand on Bankotsu's forehead. There seemed to be an odd connection between the two, a connection that filled the room with a warm glow.

* * *

"What did I tell you?" Ruri yelled, tossing Jakotsu to the floor.

"But Oka-san," Jakotsu started to say, pleading to his mother.

"Never, ever address me so casually!" she yelled, hitting Jakotsu over and over again. She left the room after spitting on her child.

Jakotsu cowered on the floor in the fetal position. He had bruises and scrapes all over his body, including a black eye and a bloody nose. His older sister, Haru, stood above him, staring at him. Jakotsu looked up at her.

"Get out of here!" he yelled at her. She gasped and ran out of the room, calling for her mother. "Damn it, she's going to tell mother," he said, starting to cry.

He heard his mother's outraged yelling from the other room and her storming footsteps towards the clothed door.

"Jakotsu, why did you yell at your older sister?" she yelled, grabbing his neck and lifting his from the ground. Jakotsu struggled in her grip and tried to breathe, but her hand was wrapped around his small neck so tightly, air couldn't come in or out.

Haru started to tug on her mother's robe. "Oka-san, please stop, you're hurting him!" she yelled. Ruri looked down at Haru.

"What do you think I'm _trying_ to do, Haru-chan. Both of your brother's know how much I despise them!" she explained to her daughter.

Tears started to swell up in Haru's eyes. "No, no, NO!" she screamed, and ran out of the small room and into the other.

Ruri dropped Jakotsu and ran after Haru. Jakotsu twitched on the floor, gasping for air. He then heard screams from Haru and his mother's trademark yelling.

"Why are you hurting your prized possession, Haha-ue," he said in a smug tone.

"Because, Jakotsu-chan, Haru stood up for you." Jakotsu turned around to see his brother clouded in the darkness of the room.

"Ō-Aniki, you were in here all along?" Jakotsu asked. Kioshi nodded.

"Haha-ue doesn't notice me anymore, only if I speak. She's too busy beating you or loving Haru to notice her oldest child," he said. Jakotsu lowered his head in shame.

"Ō-Aniki, I'm so sorry," he said, bringing silence to the small room. The only noises to be heard were the sniffles of their sister and the soft tender voice of their mother. Their mother never wanted to harm Haru, that's what they knew. If she ever hurt Haru, she would always end up comforting her to no end. Jakotsu let out a hateful laugh under his breath.

"Haru is lucky to have such a loving mother," he said. He looked at Kioshi, who did nothing but stare. Jakotsu then heard a familiar voice from the other room.

"Ruri-sama, is Jakotsu here?" the voice asked. Jakotsu stood up.

"Bankotsu," he said. He heard Kioshi laugh and looked down at him.

"You hang around with that kid?" Kioshi asked. Jakotsu nodded his head.

"Yeah."

"Jakotsu, he's four! He's still so young! Why do hang around with a little kid?" Kioshi said. Jakotsu looked at the cloth door to the other room and smiled.

"Because, Ō-Aniki, he's the only person who truly cares for me," he said, darting out into the other small room of the shack.

* * *

The little dark haired boy was thrown into the dirt. "You filthy child! How dare you steal food from the field," said the man who tossed the boy to the ground. The boy stood up and spit out dirt from his mouth. He stared at the village headmaster, his eyes filled with rage.

"I was hungry," he yelled. The village headman grabbed the boy by the front of his clothes and slapped him across the face. He dropped the boy and stared at him.

"That's not an excuse!" he said. The village headman began to walk away, but suddenly turned around to face the boy. "The next time we catch you stealing food, we'll throw you out of the village. I don't care how young you are, Bankotsu!" he said, turning away.

Bankotsu stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes. "That old bastard," he said under his breath. The six-year-old boy looked out towards the mountain where his small, shack-like dwelling sat. His parents had been dead for three years and the only "family" he had was his close friend, Jakotsu. Suddenly, Bankotsu heard his name being called.

"Bankotsu-chan!"

He turned his head and saw Jakotsu running towards him, waving his arms. Bankotsu smiled and started walking towards his friend. "Hey, Jakotsu," he said. He noticed Jakotsu's arm and how bruised up it was, but Bankotsu knew that his friend usually had different kinds of scrapes and cuts all over his body.

Jakotsu came to Bankotsu with a look of worry. "Bankotsu-chan, what happened to you? You look so dirty," he asked. Bankotsu sighed.

"I'm really hungry, Jakotsu. I haven't eaten in days and I tried to steal some food from the field, but the headman caught me and scolded me," he said. Jakotsu put his arm around his young friend.

"You should have told me, Bankotsu-chan. I could've given you some food," Jakotsu said. Bankotsu laughed and looked up towards his friend.

"Really?"

Jakotsu laughed. "Of course, let's go get some food for you," he said.

The two boys came to Jakotsu's house, hearing noises from inside.

"What are you doing, Kioshi," said Jakotsu's mother from inside the house.

Bankotsu looked up at Jakotsu. "What's going on?" he asked.

Jakotsu just stared at the house, hate and rage filling his face. He shook his head and walked into the house, inviting himself to the outraged screams of his mother and older brother. Bankotsu quickly followed Jakotsu into the small house. The first room was empty, with the exception of the cooking pot by the wall. The screams were coming from the other room.

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu said, worry filling his voice.

Jakotsu didn't listen. He walked into the other room and saw his sister standing by the doorway. His mother and brother were fighting in the far corner. Jakotsu turned to his sister.

"Haru, what's going on?" he asked. She didn't answer. "How typical of you; you're always the bystander," Jakotsu said, looking down at the ground with disappointment.

Haru had no comment. She just stood there, staring at her mother and older brother, yelling in the corner.

Bankotsu tugged on Jakotsu's clothing. "Jakotsu," he said again. Jakotsu shook his head and stared at his feuding family.

"Where did you find that sword, Kioshi? Answer me," Ruri yelled. Bankotsu and Jakotsu reacted with expressions of shock.

"A sword?" Jakotsu asked, walking towards his mother and brother. "Ō-Aniki has a sword?"

His mother turned her head, staring at Jakotsu with hateful eyes. "Yes, Jakotsu, your _Ō-Aniki_ has a sword! And do you know what he's going to _do_ with that sword?" she asked.

Jakotsu shook his head.

"Jakotsu, take your friend and get out of here!" Kioshi yelled from behind his mother. She quickly turned around and slapped her eldest child across the face.

"Shut up! Now go ahead, go and kill yourself just like you wanted!" she yelled. Kioshi stared at his mother and collapsed on the ground, still holding the sword close to him. He started to cry and Jakotsu ran to him.

"Ō-Aniki!" he screamed. He knelt down beside his brother and stroked his hair.

"Jakotsu," Kioshi said. "I'm only doing this to escape. I can't handle this anymore! I just can't handle the abuse, the neglect, or the trauma. No, not anymore! It's just too much!"

Jakotsu shook his head, tears starting to stroll down his face. "No, Ō-Aniki, don't!" he said, watching Kioshi unsheathe the sword. Kioshi laughed under his breath.

"Jakotsu, before I go, I have to tell you something very important," he said. Jakotsu's eyes widened as his brother prepared to end his torment.

"No, Ō-Aniki, don't go!" Jakotsu yelled.

Kioshi dropped the sword and placed his hand on Jakotsu's cheek. "Jakotsu, Haha-ue doesn't love you, she doesn't love me, and she never loved our _father_," he said.

Ruri gasped. "Kioshi, what are you talking about?" she angrily asked.

Kioshi stood up and stared at his mother. "He needs to know what you did! He needs to know that he too must leave this hellhole for his own good!" Kioshi yelled. He looked down at his brother. "But not this way, not this way. Jakotsu, you're going to leave this place and prosper."

Kioshi bent down and grabbed the sword.

"NO!" Jakotsu yelled, reaching out to his brother.

Kioshi shook his head. He held the sword high above his head. "Jakotsu, the night you were born, Haha-ue killed our father with the same sword I am holding in my hands. I saw his murder with my very own eyes! You see, Haha-ue was upset that she bore _another_ 'unholy boy,' as she called you. So that night, Haha-ue killed our Oto-san! And I doubt she would ever deny it," he said. His final words became memorable as he thrust the sword into his stomach.

"NO! Ō-ANIKI!" Jakotsu yelled.

Kioshi fell to the ground and laughed with his last breath. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he drifted off into the other world.

Chills ran up and down Bankotsu's spine. He fell to the floor and started to cry. He looked up at Haru and saw her struggling to keep her emotions to herself. But she still said nothing in defense for her brother.

Ruri stared at her dead son and let out a grunt. "Well, good riddance to bad rubbish," she said, walking out of the room. Haru hesitantly followed her mother, staring at her dead brother. She shook her head and walked out of the room.

Bankotsu stared at the dead young man in the center of the room. Jakotsu was lying on top of him, crying.

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu said, sniffling. There was no response. Bankotsu stood up and walked towards Kioshi and Jakotsu. He put his hand on Jakotsu's shoulder. Jakotsu looked up at Bankotsu. The both of them had an immense amount of tears in their eyes. Bankotsu struggled to speak. "I don't…remember my mother or my father well, but I do remember…how I felt when they died. But Jakotsu, I'm here for you and I will always be here for you," he said.

Jakotsu jumped into Bankotsu's arms and kept crying. "Bankotsu-chan," he said. "Thank you."

* * *

The small shack of a house was falling apart, and Bankotsu knew it was. However, he did nothing to help it; he wasn't planning on staying any longer. He looked around his "home" and left, kicking a wall.

"Well, this should last for about another day or two," he said. He walked away from the house he grew up in, heading for Jakotsu's violent dwelling. He stood outside Jakotsu's home until he was sure someone was there.

"You know, you should really work on that attitude of yours, Jakotsu. If you keep it up, no woman will want to bear your child," Bankotsu heard Ruri-sama yell.

"Why should I care what _any_ woman cares about? I _hate_ women!" Jakotsu yelled in response.

"Yup, he's here!" Bankotsu said, laughing. He walked through the cloth door and saw Haru sitting on the floor, stirring something in the cooking pot. He kept walking through the small room. The screams from the other room where Jakotsu's older brother had killed himself in five years ago had not ebbed.

"Jakotsu!" Bankotsu yelled, entering the room that held unpleasant memories. He saw Jakotsu being pressed against the wall by Ruri, bruises all over his body.

"Ō-Aniki!" Jakotsu yelled happily, tossing his mother off of him, running to Bankotsu.

Ruri stared at her son and Bankotsu, confusion filling her face. "O-Aniki? Did you just call him…Ō-Aniki?" Jakotsu's mother yelled in rage.

Jakotsu stared at his mother evilly. "Why, yes I did, Haha-ue," he said.

She started to grind her teeth together. "That's what you called that ungrateful brother of yours! I _never_ want to be reminded of him! Why must you remind me of him?" she yelled.

Jakotsu laughed. "Haha-ue, when I think back on that 'ungrateful brother of mine,' I remember how weak he was. You see, Bankotsu is stronger than Kioshi, and even though he _is_ younger than me, he's a much better role model than Kioshi," Jakotsu explained.

It didn't seem to work. "I don't care why you refer to Bankotsu as Ō-Aniki! Just never say it around me!" Ruri was furious and charged at her son and Bankotsu. She started to hit and punch them both. Bankotsu managed to push her off and ran into the other room. However, Jakotsu stayed, trying to fight back. Bankotsu watched from the other room.

"Jakotsu, stop! Get up! Come on," Bankotsu pleaded.

"It's not going to work, Bankotsu-san. Let them be," Haru told him, never making eye contact.

Bankotsu looked at the pregnant young woman. He then quietly laughed. "So, how's your baby's father doing?" he asked.

Haru lifted her head with a gasp. Tears started to stroll down her face and she threw her face into her hands. "No, no, NO!" she yelled.

Bankotsu left the tormented family and waited out side of the house. When the moon filled the sky, he walked back into the small house. Jakotsu was lying on the floor with more bruises than ever before. The cooking pot was still filled with food.

"Well, I guess no one ate dinner," he said softly. Bankotsu knelt down beside Jakotsu, shaking him awake.

"Jakotsu, Jakotsu, wake up. I have to tell you something," Bankotsu said.

Jakotsu slowly opened his blood shot eyes. He was startled when he saw Bankotsu. "Ō-Aniki," he said softly. "What are you doing here?"

"Jakotsu, I have to tell you something," Bankotsu said.

Jakotsu laughed and sat up. "Ō-Aniki, you just said that," he said.

Bankotsu shook his head. "Who cares? Jakotsu, let's leave this filthy place," he said.

Jakotsu looked into his friends eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Let's leave the village and never come back. They don't need us any more than we need them," Bankotsu said, excitement filling his every pore.

"Well, what are we going to do when we leave?"

Bankotsu laughed. "We'll train! We'll train to become strong men, the strongest men this land has ever seen. No one will want to come against us; they'll be too scared of our strength! What do you say?"

Jakotsu laughed, shaking his head. "I can always rely on you to come up with a stupid idea like this," he said. Bankotsu stared at Jakotsu, disappointed. Jakotsu laughed again and patted Bankotsu head. "Sure, why the hell not? I'll go with you, and I'm sure as hell we'll be the strongest men anyone has ever seen."

Bankotsu's face lit up and he jumped onto Jakotsu, hugging him. "Thank you, Jakotsu. Thank you so much. There's no one else in the entire world that I would want with me, except you."

Jakotsu laughed and let his head rest on Bankotsu's shoulder. "I feel the same way, Ō-Aniki."


	2. Chapter 2

One year had passed since Bankotsu and Jakotsu left their village and started training. Jakotsu had brought the sword to which his brother and father met their end. He figured he better take a weapon with him for the training.

Bankotsu and Jakotsu had been scaling the forest for a couple of days, trying to find something to fight. Jakotsu's stomach suddenly started to grumble. "Ō-Aniki, I'm hungry," he complained. Bankotsu turned around to face Jakotsu, giving him a look.

"Jakotsu, you're talking to a person who usually went hungry for days! Suck it up and deal with it!" Bankotsu said.

Jakotsu gave a pout. "But, Ō-Aniki, in order to get stronger we need to eat _something_!" Jakotsu said.

Bankotsu put his hand up to his chin and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He looked around the forest, trying to find some food. He suddenly perked his head up.

"Ō-Aniki, what's wrong?" Jakotsu asked.

Bankotsu put his finger to his mouth, shushing Jakotsu. He ran to Jakotsu and grabbed the sword from his hands.

"Hey, that's Kioshi's sword," Jakotsu said. Bankotsu looked at Jakotsu.

"Jakotsu, do you know how to make a fire?" Bankotsu asked.

Jakotsu stared at his young friend. "Ō-Aniki, what the hell are you talking about?" Jakotsu said.

Bankotsu laughed. He ran to a bush, unsheathed the sword, and thrust it into the bush. The squealing of an animal was momentarily heard. Bankotsu took the sword out of the bush and put it back in its sheath.

"Are you hungry for some boar?" Bankotsu said, kicking a dead boar from the bush.

Jakotsu stared at the dead animal on the ground before laughing. "Ō-Aniki," he said.

Bankotsu smiled at Jakotsu. "Well," he said. "You said you were hungry."

After cooking the animal through, the two young boys sat down and enjoyed their meal of the night. Bankotsu had noticed Jakotsu's distant stare through out the night.

"Jakotsu, what's wrong?" he asked. Jakotsu's face stayed the same. "Are you upset that I just grabbed your brother's sword from your hands?"

Jakotsu slowly shook his head. Bankotsu smiled in a cocky manner. "Good, 'cause I really don't care!" he said, trying to lighten the mood. Jakotsu still made no facial response to Bankotsu.

Bankotsu slowly walked over to Jakotsu. "Hey, Jakotsu, are you alright?" he asked.

Jakotsu sighed. He shook his head. "No, not really, Ō-Aniki," he said. He placed his piece of meat down and stared at the sky, sighing. "Why did I remember her?"

Bankotsu looked at his friend, confused. "Why do you remember who?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Jakotsu threw his head down, facing the ground. "When you took Kioshi's sword, I thought of my mother," he said. Jakotsu placed his left hand on his right arm, pulled up the sleeve of his yukata, and revealed a hideous wound. "The night we left, Haha-ue did this to me. She had Kioshi's sword in her hands and she pierced my arm and I thought of that moment when you killed that boar. Oh, I'm sorry, Ō-Aniki. I didn't mean to ruin the night," he said staring at the sky. He sighed and smiled. "It really is a beautiful night, don't you think, Ō-Aniki?"

Bankotsu looked away from Jakotsu. "Yeah, it is," he said in a soft tone. It was a rarity for Bankotsu to see Jakotsu so serious and depressed. He threw his meat to the ground and stood up. "Let's go," he said.

Jakotsu looked away from the stars and stared at Bankotsu. He smiled, nodded, and stood up from his seat on the tree log. The two of them still had much to accomplish in order to become strong; their training was not yet complete.

* * *

The next morning, Bankotsu and Jakotsu were still scaling the forest. Jakotsu bent over and sighed. "Ō-Aniki, I'm tired. Let's rest," he said, complaining.

Bankotsu shook his head. "Jakotsu, there's no time to complain. We need to continue with our training," he said. He stopped walking and looked up at the sky.

"Ō-Aniki, what's wrong," Jakotsu asked.

"We're missing something," Bankotsu said. He turned around and faced Jakotsu. "But what could we be missing?"

Jakotsu stood there, staring at Bankotsu. He just shrugged his shoulders. "I…really don't know, Ō-Aniki," he said. Suddenly, Jakotsu heard someone speaking to the two of them through the bushes.

"So, you're training, are you?" the voice asked them.

Jakotsu held up his brother's sword, ready to unsheathe it. "Who are you?" he asked.

The voice from the bushes laughed. Suddenly, a hand pulled the bushes aside, revealing an old man. "Oh, I'm just an old sword smith trying to get rid of my two greatest creations," the man said.

"So, what have you got?" Bankotsu asked from behind Jakotsu. He sounded interested.

Jakotsu turned around, staring at Bankotsu. "Ō-Aniki," he said, lowering his sword.

Bankotsu ran up to Jakotsu and the old man, placing his hand on Jakotsu's shoulder. "Jakotsu, I think this is it," he said to his friend.

Jakotsu just kept staring into Bankotsu's eyes. He knew his young friend was up to something, he just wasn't sure what.

Bankotsu faced the old man once more. "So, what have you got?" he said.

The old man chuckled. "You two kids seem too young for these weapons. I mean, you could fall off your feet holding this one," he said, pointing to the giant spear like creation.

Bankotsu's eyes widened. "Wow," he said, under his breath.

"Well, you said you had two weapons," Jakotsu said with a grunt. "What's the other thing?"

The old man turned around and bent over, picking up the other weapon. He turned around, presenting the crescent shaped sword to the two boys. "This, my young friend, is the sneakiest little sword I ever created," he said, a glimmer in his eyes.

Jakotsu stared down at the sword. "What's so special about it?" he said, holding no interest in his voice.

The old man stared at Jakotsu. "You don't see it, do you?" he said. "This sword is somewhat like a snake. It has many different layers, many different. You can attack an enemy from far away with just one flick of the wrist." He handed the sword to Jakotsu. "Unfortunately, I'm too old to test this out for you. Come on, give it a try."

Jakotsu stared at the sword. "Go on, Jakotsu, test it out," Bankotsu said, egging his friend on.

Jakotsu kept his stare on the sword. He dropped his brother's sword to the ground and slowly reached for the snake-like weapon. He grasped the hilt and removed the sword from the old man's hands. He raised it over his head. _Just a flick of the wrist_, he thought to himself. He softly laughed before flicking his wrist and once he did, he was awakened with a surprise. The sword's numerous blades had revealed themselves in one long train.

"What did I tell you? Just one flick of the wrist," the old man said.

Jakotsu faced the man, a surprised look spread across his face. "How…how does it come back?" he asked.

The man laughed. "Just flick your wrist backwards. It's just one simple concept for a very dangerous object," he said.

Jakotsu flicked his wrist backwards and the sword returned to its deceiving form. He found it so amusing.

"That's amazing!" Bankotsu said. "Can we have both of them?"

The old man laughed, but his happy mood quickly disappeared. He nabbed the snake like sword back from Jakotsu. "I may be old, but I'm not stupid," he said. "This isn't a charity, boys. I need money for these."

Jakotsu looked back at Bankotsu. "Ō-Aniki," he said with concern.

Bankotsu grunted. "Well, we don't have any money," he said. He bent over and picked up Kioshi's sword. "But we do have this." He handed the sword to the old man.

The old man took the sword from its sheath and examined it. He began to laugh. "You're going to bribe me with something as worthless as this?" he said, tossing the sword back to Bankotsu. "I'm sorry, but if you don't have anything else, I'll just keep these weapons to myself. You two kids have a good day now. Go run along and play," the man said, walking back within the bushes.

Bankotsu kicked the dirt and began walking away. Jakotsu quickly followed. "Ō-Aniki, I'm sorry," he said.

Bankotsu gave a hateful chuckle from under his breath. "What are you sorry about, Jakotsu," he said.

"Well, about the sword and the halberd," Jakotsu answered, "and that fact that we can't get them."

Bankotsu stopped walking and turned around to face Jakotsu. "Oh, we're getting them, Jakotsu," he said, a devilish look filling his face. "I don't care if we have money or not, but I'm getting that spear, even if I have to kill that old man myself."

The day soon turned into night. Bankotsu and Jakotsu camped out inside a circling of trees. The sparkling fire was starting to die down and Jakotsu's patience was wearing thin. "Ō-Aniki," he said, annoyed. "You've been thinking all day and you've been thinking all night. So, what are we you going to do to get those swords?"

Bankotsu perked his head up and stared at Jakotsu. "I haven't been thinking, Jakotsu. I've been waiting," he said.

Jakotsu's irked mood quickly turned into confusion. "Waiting?" he said.

Bankotsu nodded. He looked out into the forest from where they came, chuckling. "And I think it's time to get some weapons," he said, standing up. He looked down at Jakotsu and motioned him to stand. "Let's go," he said, walking out of the huddling of trees.

Jakotsu ran to catch up with Bankotsu. "Ō-Aniki, you weren't serious about killing that guy, were you?" Jakotsu asked, concerned.

Bankotsu turned around and grabbed Kioshi's sword from Jakotsu' hands. "Do you ever let go of this thing?" he asked.

Jakotsu nodded. "Yeah, sometimes," he said.

"Good, because I need it," he said, continuing his walk. It took a while for the two boys to reach the grouping of bushes where the old man with the weapons stayed. "I'm pretty sure this is the area. I can see signs of a campfire around here," Bankotsu said, pointing to the flickering orange light not so far in the distant.

Bankotsu lead Jakotsu through the bushes towards the old man's locale. And there he was asleep by a fire with his two weapons displayed behind him. Bankotsu looked at the man and grunted. "Well, I guess you've lived a long enough life, old man," he said, unsheathing Kioshi's sword.

He stood by the man's head and was facing Jakotsu. "Well, here goes nothing," he said, raising the sword above his head.

Jakotsu gasped, remembering his brother's final stance. "Kioshi," he said quietly. He could hold the memory no more; he started to cry. "Ō-ANIKI!" he yelled.

Bankotsu perked his head up to Jakotsu and the old man started to wake up. "Damn," Bankotsu said. He acted quickly and stabbed the old man in the chest. Blood sprayed from the puncture and splattered on Bankotsu and Jakotsu's faces.

The old man gave a final grunt and disappeared from the world of the living. Jakotsu saw his brother's sword protruding from the old man's chest. He then looked at Bankotsu and how the blood had splattered on his face.

"Jakotsu, what the hell is your problem?" Bankotsu yelled, walking towards Jakotsu.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said, pointing at Bankotsu's forehead. "You should see the star on your forehead!"

Bankotsu was taken aback. "What," he started to say.

Jakotsu searched the ground and saw a pail of water. "Go and see!" he said, pointing to the pail.

Bankotsu slowly walked over to the pail and stared at his reflection. "Well, what do you know," he said, seeing the four-pointed star the blood had formed on his forehead.

Jakotsu walked over and looked into the pail, noticing tear like artwork under his eyes.

"Hey, Jakotsu, we don't look half bad with these markings on our faces," Bankotsu said, putting his arm around Jakotsu.

Jakotsu smiled. "It can be our personal symbols or something like that," Jakotsu said. He then remembered the weapons. "Oh yeah, Ō-Aniki, what about the weapons," Jakotsu said, looking at the large, wide spear leaning against the tree.

Bankotsu looked back and ran to the spear and picked it up. "It's…it's kind of heavy, Jakotsu," he said, struggling.

Jakotsu leisurely walked over to Bankotsu and picked up the snake-like blade. "You just need to build up your strength, Ō-Aniki. You're still young," he said, examining his own sword.

Bankotsu sighed. "I guess you're right, Jakotsu. But hey, that's what training is for, right?" he said.

"Jakotsutou," Jakotsu said.

Bankotsu looked up at Jakotsu. "What did you just say?" he asked, confusion filling his voice.

"It's such a coincidence, don't you think? My name and the sword, they're kind of similar, so I'll call it Jakotsutou," Jakotsu said, smiling at Bankotsu.

Bankotsu returned the smile and nodded. "Well, let's get going. I need to train with this thing," Bankotsu said, slowly walking away with the spear in his hands.

Jakotsu looked down his brother's sword. He pulled it free from the corpse and placed it back in its sheath. "I guess it's time for a proper burial, Ō-Aniki," he said. He took the sword and buried it underneath the soil. He placed a rock distinctly over the burial place and began to pray. "Please find peace Ō-Aniki, Oto-san," he said. He stood up with his new sword, acknowledged the grave marker, and left to follow Bankotsu.

* * *

The grouping of men was prepared to go off to war. They were all dressed in their armor, their swords by their sides.

"I'm scared," said one of the younger men.

"I don't want to go to war," said another.

"It's for the good of our land," said an older man, full of confidence.

"Sometimes war can be tough. Maybe some training will help you guys," said an unfamiliar voice to the crowd.

A man who seemed to be head of the army walked around the grouping of men and spotted the strange voice. In the middle of the men, young man of about eighteen years stood, wearing a light purple yukata. He sported a hairpin in his hair and had odd face paint. But he was also armed with a hidden sword within a sheath, hanging from the man's back "Who are you," said the head samurai.

The young man threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, I was just walking by and happened to notice your little army. I thought I might challenge you guys, you know, just for some practice," said the man.

The samurai laughed. "Ha, you think you'll survive? There's only one of you and about a hundred of us," he said.

"I agree," said another unknown voice from above. "One against one hundred _is_ a bit unfair, so I guess I'll help him!" The samurai looked above and spotted another young man, standing on the edge of a small cliff. He seemed younger than the other man, probably around fifteen. A huge, spear-like weapon was hurled over his shoulder; and over his white garb, he wore blue-patterned armor. His hair was tied back in a low braid and a four-pointed star was found on his forehead.

"Ō-Aniki," yelled the young man on the ground. The younger man jumped from the cliff and landed on his feet next to the man who seemed to be his friend.

"Would you look at this, Jakotsu; it's our first big fight," said the young man wielding the spear.

"I know, Bankotsu Ō-Aniki, it's very exciting," Jakotsu responded. Bankotsu and Jakotsu had spent the past three years training with their new weapons, and it was time to test their skill.

The head samurai laughed once more. "You think you're going to do any better with that kid on your side?" said the samurai.

Bankotsu and Jakotsu laughed. "You have no idea," they said, simultaneously, ready to fight.

The head samurai gasped and ordered his men to prepare their weapons. Bankotsu and Jakotsu bent their knees and propelled into the air. An aerial attack seemed new and exciting. Jakotsu prepared to flick his wrist, revealing his swords deadly secret, and Bankotsu was ready to show the unknown force of his spear. In seconds, the entire army had fallen to their deaths.

Bankotsu laughed, landing on the ground. "Well, what do you know? I've gotten pretty damn good at using Banryuu," he said, admiring his weapon.

Jakotsu walked over to Bankotsu and placed his hand on Bankotsu's shoulder. "You really have, Ō-Aniki," he said with a smile. He then looked up at the sky. "It's getting late, Ō-Aniki. I think there's a hot spring nearby. You want to go check it out?"

"Sure," Bankotsu responded, sliding his Banryuu into its protective purple slip. The two of them left into the distance towards the hot spring.

The water was nice and warm, just like Jakotsu had promised. "Ah, after a long journey of training, a nice relaxing, stress-free bath was exactly what I needed," Bankotsu said, resting his arms up on the surrounding rocks.

"Yeah," Jakotsu said, staring at Bankotsu.

Bankotsu looked back at him, noticing Jakotsu's distant stare. "Jakotsu, are you okay?" he said, leaning in towards Jakotsu.

Jakotsu nodded and closed his eyes. "I'm just tired, I guess," he said, leaning back onto the rocks.

"Yeah, I think I know what you mean," he said, nodding. Bankotsu started to yawned and his eyelids grew heavy. He started to drift off until he heard movements in the water. He stayed awake, but he found it hard to open his eyes. He then felt someone breathing against his neck and something touch his cheek. "Jakotsu?" he said, wondering if someone else might be in the spring with them.

"Yes, I'm right here, Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said near Bankotsu's ear.

Bankotsu gasped and quickly opened his eyes. He saw Jakotsu on top of him. "Jakotsu," he said, startled. "What are you…?"

"Quiet, Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said, putting one of his hands underwater. "I'm sure you'll enjoy this." Jakotsu had a disturbing tone in his voice, but it invited Bankotsu into the moment.

Bankotsu closed his eyes and nodded, Jakotsu's hand stroking his body under the water. Bankotsu felt Jakotsu's hand traverse downwards from his chest to between his thighs. He bit his lip to keep from screaming.

Suddenly, Jakotsu stopped. "Ō-Aniki," he said, concern filling his voice.

Bankotsu flashed open his eyes. He stared at Jakotsu and fell into his chest. "Don't," he started to say softly.

Jakotsu sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry, Ō-Aniki," he started to say, but was suddenly interrupted by Bankotsu.

"No! Don't…don't stop," he said, wrapping his arms around Jakotsu.

Jakotsu laughed lightly and grabbed Bankotsu by the shoulders, lifting up Bankotsu's head. He stared at Bankotsu as if he were going to scold him.

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu said, scared. Suddenly, Jakotsu slammed his mouth onto Bankotsu's, kissing him hard. Bankotsu felt his body being thrust up over the rocks and tossed onto the grass by the spring. Jakotsu was on top of him again, embracing Bankotsu as if the world were to end.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu yelled, releasing his mouth from Bankotsu's. He stared at Bankotsu seductively. "You don't realize how I've longed for this."

Bankotsu looked into Jakotsu's lustful eyes. Jakotsu slowly lowered his head down below to Bankotsu's neck and started to kiss and nibble the soft skin he found. He then returned to lightly caressing Bankotsu's young body with his hands. His light touch quickly became passionate and fast.

Bankotsu didn't know how to soak in all the new sensations that permeated his body. What was happening scared him, so he kept his eyes tightly closed. He figured that he was still some what young and inexperienced, but even through his fear he allowed Jakotsu take over his body and soul. _It's only for the night_, Bankotsu kept repeating to himself, the mantra flowing through his head.

Due to his fear, his lip started to bleed; he had been biting it for so long to keep from yelling with excitement. Suddenly, his teeth slipped off of his lip. "Jakotsu!" he screamed.

Then, all of the sudden, it stopped again. Bankotsu slowly opened his eyes and saw Jakotsu down between his legs. Bankotsu gasped and backed away quickly.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said.

"I'm…sorry," Bankotsu said, scurrying off the ground. He ran away and grabbed his clothes, trying to put them on while running. Unfortunately, he ended up tripping and fell on the ground face first. He looked behind him, watching Jakotsu slowly approach him.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said, a look of concern lingering on his face. "Don't be sorry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have been so forward with you."

Bankotsu flipped his body over and faced Jakotsu, shaking his head. "No, don't be Jakotsu," he said.

Jakotsu smiled softly and rested his head on Bankotsu's chest. "You're warm, Ō-Aniki," he said, and then fell asleep.

Bankotsu looked at Jakotsu and sighed. He couldn't blame Jakotsu; that's how he was. He closed his eyes and fell asleep as well.

When Bankotsu woke up, rain was falling on his face. He shook the water off his head and held it up, staring at Jakotsu. He was still laying on him; and they were both naked. Bankotsu gasped and scurried away from under Jakotsu.

Jakotsu's head fell to the ground with a thump. He awoke rubbing his head. He looked towards Bankotsu, who was putting on his pants frantically. "Ō-Aniki, are you alright?" he asked.

Bankotsu suddenly stopped and stared at Jakotsu for a moment and quickly nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm okay," he said, putting on the rest of his clothing. "Let's get going. We have to go prove our strength to more people."

Jakotsu stared at his ever anxious friend and nodded his head, smiling. "You bet Ō-Aniki."


	3. Chapter 3

Yeah, I kinda forgot to put a header on the beginning of the other chapter. It bothered me, which is why I added this chapter a few hours afterwards. I no school today, so I finally finished the actual story (after a year and a half!), but don't get excited, because I have put the rest up (which is in 2 more chapters). That'll be next week. Now, allow me to disclaim:

I do **NOT** own Inuyasha, Bankotsu, Jakotsu, or the Shichinintai...it's be cool if I did, but they belong to Rumiko Takahashi and those other people...also, there is some more **violence**, **language** (i think...), and, of course, **Yaoi**...because this is that kind of story, which is also why I'm bumpin' up the rating to this story from T to M...I don't wanna get in trouble:D

So, on behalf of **ERBBY**, enjoy Chapter 3 of _Always There for You_.

* * *

She was absolutely beautiful. Ever part of her body was perfect, her voice was angelic, and her ideals were in favor of everyone. It was an unfortunate fate that she had to sell her body to men to make a living.

"So, how much," said the voice of a young man, his face hidden in the shadows.

"What ever you may have," she said in a tragic tone.

The man sighed. "Damn," he said.

She closed in on him. "You…don't have anything?" she said, on the verge of tears.

"No, not really," he said, stepping into view. Bankotsu stared at the young prostitute, his Banryuu ready in his hands.

She gasped and backed away. "Please, no, don't kill me!" she yelled.

Bankotsu gave a hateful laugh. "Sorry, baby. That's just the way the world works," he said. He then sliced her head off. The other girls in the room started to scream, but were then suddenly silenced by a slight blow of Bankotsu's Banryuu.

"Jakotsu!" he yelled. Jakotsu ran into the room.

"What, Ō-Aniki?" he said.

"Let's get out of this dump," he said, walking out of the room filled with the corpses of young prostitutes. The two of them left the house and entered a forest.

"So, Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said. "What are we going to do now?"

Bankotsu shrugged. "I don't know, probably continue our search for partners," he said, leaning against a tree. "We need money so becoming mercenaries will be best for us."

Jakotsu walked into him and rested his head on Bankotsu's chest. "Ō-Aniki, this is hard," he said, complaining.

Bankotsu put his arm around Jakotsu. "Oh, just suck it up and deal with it," he said.

Jakotsu lifted his head and stared into Bankotsu's eyes smiling. "Okay, Ō-Aniki," he said.

Bankotsu smiled and lifted Jakotsu's head, kissing him. "That's what I thought," he said. He lightly pushed Jakotsu off of him. "Now, let's go."

The two of them continued walking through the forest. Suddenly, they heard numerous blood curdling screams at the end of the forest. Bankotsu picked up the pace and began to run out of the forest.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu yelled, trailing from behind. "What's up ahead?"

Bankotsu shook his head. "I don't know, but I want to find out!" They continued running, seeing a pit of flame and smoke in the distance. When they reached the pit, they found a village in ruin, dead bodies scattered around.

"I…don't remember being here," Jakotsu said.

Bankotsu laughed. "Idiot, someone else did this," he said. Bankotsu then spotted a man in the distance; sharp razors protruded from his knuckles.

"What do you want," he yelled from the distance. Bankotsu stared at the ground and looked up at the man with the razor knuckles.

"Did you cause this mess," he asked, smirking. The man with the razors walked slowly towards the couple.

"Yeah, what of it," he said. Bankotsu started to laugh and raised his Banryuu above his head.

"Well, I've done my share of killing and I'm just curious about your strength," he said.

Jakotsu put his hand on Bankotsu's shoulder. "Ō-Aniki, what are you doing," he asked.

Bankotsu laughed. "You'll see, Jakotsu. Just wait," he said, keeping his stare at the other man.

The man with the razor knuckles laughed. "Sure, why not? By the way, I'm Suikotsu, just so you know the name of your murderer," he said.

Bankotsu narrowed his eyes on Suikotsu. "The name's Bankotsu and I can assure you that I will not die today."

Suikotsu clenched his teeth and charged towards Bankotsu, screaming. Bankotsu pushed Jakotsu away from him, ready to attack the clawed man. Suikotsu slashed his claws into the air, aiming for the young warrior yet Bankotsu just kept dodging the attacks.

"Come on, kid, make a move," Suikotsu yelled.

Bankotsu kept a dark stare on Suikotsu and laughed. "Oh, I'll make a move; I just wanna see what ya got!"

Suikotsu's face grew darker. He raised his right arm and sliced his claw across Bankotsu's cheek. Catching the young man off guard, he managed to use his other arm and sliced Bankotsu's right side.

Bankotsu fell to the ground with a thump. He took his hand and felt the blood coming out of his right side. Smirking, he stood up from the ground. "Not bad," he said, coughing. "But now, it's my turn."

Surprising the man, Bankotsu flew into the air with his Banryuu plated in his hands. He raised the giant weapon above his head and started to approach Suikotsu. His Banryuu was then brought forcefully to Suikotsu's stomach.

Bankotsu's blow sent Suikotsu plummeting to the ground. Bankotsu fell down to his knees, breathing heavily. He stuck his Banryuu into the soil and grasped onto it tightly.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu yelled, rushing to Bankotsu's side. He carefully placed his hand on Bankotsu's bleeding side. "Ō-Aniki, are you alright?"

Bankotsu started to laugh and slowly stood up, pride charging through his body. "You put up quite a fight, Suikotsu. You've got strength, not as much as me, but still a lot. So, how would like to travel with Jakotsu and I," he said.

Suikotsu slowly sat up, wiping the blood from his chin. He laughed. "Sure, why the hell not, I've got nothing better to do with my life," he said. Removing the razor blade knuckles, he walked over to Bankotsu. His hand was waiting for a shake.

"Great," Bankotsu said, taking the man's hand in for a friendly shake. The three of them walked out of the fiery area, back towards the forest.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu suddenly said.

Bankotsu turned his head to Jakotsu. "Yeah?"

"Did you ever think about the coincidence of our names?"

Bankotsu stopped in his tracks and stared at the two other travelers. "What?"

Jakotsu shook his head. "Think about it, Ō-Aniki! You're name is Bankotsu, mine is Jakotsu, and this new guy is Suikotsu. They all end in 'kotsu!'"

Bankotsu's face lighted up and he started to laugh. "I get it. There's a pattern going around here!" Bankotsu leaned against a tree and put his hand up to his chin.

After a couple of minutes of pondering, Bankotsu spoke up. "I like it…a lot, actually. You think that the other guys we pick up should carry on the trend?"

Suikotsu stared at his new companion. "I guess…what exactly are you guys planning, any way," he asked.

Bankotsu walked over to Jakotsu, placing his arm around his friend's shoulder. "You see Suikotsu, me and my friend here have been together for the past five years training to become strong men. Well, over the past year, we decided that maybe our newly found strength could be used to make a living. So, we're going to form a group of this land's strongest men and live as mercenaries," he said.

"Mercenaries," Suikotsu said. "That doesn't sound half bad."

Bankotsu laughed and turned around, making his way out of the forest. "Exactly, so let's go find some more partners."

* * *

The grouping of bushes and trees were just outside the village, giving the two companions the perfect camouflage. "Okay, Ginjuu," started the one with the blue bandana. "You just sit here and wait for my signal."

Looking more like a machine that a human, Ginjuu grunted and nodded. "Right, Renmaru," he said.

Renmaru smirked and ran into the village, looking around for some people. Suddenly, a young woman came into view.

"Can I help you," she said.

"Oh, that would be most kind," he said. Putting on an act, he fell to the ground and started to cough. "I've been traveling for days looking for my lost lover, and I feel very faint."

His story put a tear into the girl's eye. She helped Renmaru up from the ground and took him into her small dwelling. "Come inside and I'll help you to some food," she said.

Renmaru laid down on the futon set out on the floor. "Thank you so much," he said. After a few minutes of conversation and a light lunch, Renmaru sat up. "I believe I have taken up too much of your time. Thank you for your generosity, and may the gods bless your home," he said, struggling to leave the small house.

The woman grabbed his arm. "Wait, you must meet my brother. He'll help you gather food for your journey," she said.

A dirty smile fell upon his face. "Why, thank you. Where is your brother?"

Outside, Renmaru heard the voice of a young man screaming no. The young girl smiled. "There's ni-san!" She ran with Renmaru out of the house to see her brother coming from one end of the surrounding forest. Her smile then fell into confusion once she looked at her brother's face. "He sure looks upset," she said.

Suddenly, a strange man came from behind her brother. "Come on, just one little kiss," he said, giggling. The girl's brother turned to face the odd man.

"I said, no! I have no desire to do anything with you!"

The odd man gasped. "You're going to regret saying that," he said in a dark tone.

"Ni-san," the young girl said, running to her brother. "What's going on?"

The girl's brother held out his hand to stop his sister from going any further. "Don't, Ruri-chan. Just go back in the house," he said.

Suddenly, the odd man's face grew extraordinarily dark. "Ruri," he said, pulling out a sword from the sheath in his back.

Renmaru's eyes grew wide as he saw the sword flash over the young woman's body. She shrieked loudly, falling to the ground in a puddle of blood. "What the hell," he said to himself.

"Jakotsu," said a voice from behind the murderer.

Jakotsu turned around, a pout placed on his face. "Ō-Aniki, this man doesn't want to play with me," he said.

Ruri's brother's face showed obvious signs of anger. "Who are you people? Why did you kill my sister?"

The voice emerged from the trees, revealing a very young man, no older than sixteen, but his stance told a different story. "Stop complaining, Jakotsu. I'll play with you later," he said. He took his halberd that was resting on his shoulder and raised it. "You won't need to know once you're dead," he said darkly, slicing the young woman's brother from head to toe with his large weapon.

The young man sighed and turned around. "Well, this village is obviously out of the question. Let's go, guys," he said.

"Wait," Renmaru screamed.

The two men turned to face him and another man with razor sharp knuckles came from behind another tree. They kept a curious stare on him.

Renmaru stood there, unsure of what to do next. _Great_, he thought. _I have their attention…now what?_ Flustered, he did the first thing that came to mind. "Ginjuu, fire!"

Renmaru's mechanic friend emerged from his hiding place and aimed his guns to the air and shot a smoky cannon ball into the sky. It plummeted to the ground in front of the three strange men. The three of them jumped into the smoke and appeared before Renmaru and Ginjuu.

"Who are you," said the young one with the halberd.

Renmaru cleared his throat and stood tall in front of the short man. "I am Renmaru and this is my long time friend and companion, Ginjuu. We have been roaming the lands around here and taking down villages…"

"For the hell of it," the young man finished for him.

Renmaru nodded.

"You mean, you just destroyed the past five villages out to the west for no reason," the razor bladed man said.

Renmaru nodded again. The short man with the halberd laughed, throwing his hand on Renmaru's shoulder. "My, my, my, you two did quite a nice job. How would you like to travel along with us? My name's Bankotsu," he said.

"Well, I suppose," Renmaru said. He turned around to face Ginjuu. "How about it, Ginjuu?"

Ginjuu gave an affirmative grunt and Renmaru faced his new companion, Bankotsu. "Okay, we'll travel with you guys," he said.

Bankotsu smiled. "Great. So, your Renmaru and Ginjuu, right?"

The two of them nodded. "Well, not anymore. If I'm forming a group of mercenaries, you've gotta match us. This odd character here is Jakotsu," he said, pointing to the man the killed the girl named Ruri.

"Ō-Aniki, I'm not odd," he whined.

"And this one here is Suikotsu," Bankotsu said, motioning his hand to the man with razor-blade hand attachments. "So, how about…Renkotsu and Ginkotsu. Yeah, that sounds great," he said.

Renmaru turned his head to Ginjuu. "Do you like that, Ginjuu? We'll be mercenaries, but if we have to travel with these guys, we have to change our names," he said. Ginjuu nodded. Renmaru took Bankotsu hand in for a shake. "We're in."

* * *

The five companions sat together within a grouping of trees. It would be their camp for the night. Sitting around the campfire, they spoke of the group's future plans.

"So, Bankotsu," Renkotsu started.

"It's _Ō-Aniki_," Jakotsu said, correcting Renkotsu. Bankotsu smiled at Jakotsu and turned his attention to Renkotsu.

"Yes," he said.

"Um, Ō-Aniki, what exactly are we going to do as mercenaries," he asked.

Bankotsu stared at him and started to laugh. "What are we going to do? What a stupid question; what do you think we're going to do," Bankotsu said.

Renkotsu stared at him and Jakotsu giggled under his breath.

"Don't worry about it, Renkotsu. I'll take care of everything once we are ready," he answered, leaning against a tree.

"How are we going to know when we're ready, Ō-Aniki," Suikotsu asked.

Bankotsu closed his eyes and yawned. "I'm thinking…about two more members of the group," he said. "I mean, we're gonna be _famous_ mercenaries, so I've been throwing some name ideas in the air. Seven has been giving me some ideas."

"Name," Ginkotsu grunted.

Bankotsu nodded and stood up. "Yup," he said, walking away from the campsite.

"Ō-Aniki," Suikotsu started. "Where are you going?"

"I'm tired. I'm just gonna go to sleep behind those trees over there," he said.

Jakotsu stood up, following Bankotsu. "Yeah, me too," he said. He turned and waved to his comrades.

* * *

"You followed me," Bankotsu said to Jakotsu, once in private.

Jakotsu pouted at his friend's comment. "Of course, Ō-Aniki, we do everything together," he said.

Bankotsu turned around, facing Jakotsu with a devilish smile. "Even sleep together," he said, walking slowly toward Jakotsu.

Jakotsu grinned and took Bankotsu's chin in his hand. "Especially sleeping, Ō-Aniki; it's the best thing we do together," Jakotsu said, bringing Bankotsu's face in for a kiss. Bankotsu threw his arms around Jakotsu, undying his obi.

"I think it's time for our playtime," Bankotsu said, removing his own armor. He started to push Jakotsu's yukata away from his neck, softly kissing the pale creamy expanse of exposed skin.

Suddenly, Jakotsu placed his hands on Bankotsu's shoulders. "Wait, Ō-Aniki. What about the others," he said. He turned his head towards the light of the campfire, revealing more of his luscious neck. "They might see..."

Half naked, Bankotsu stared at the campsite. "Damn," he said. He took Jakotsu and tossed him to the ground, ripping off Jakotsu's armor. "Screw it. You'll just have to be quiet."

Jakotsu giggled nervously and covered Bankotsu's mouth with his own. Bankotsu gave in and continued with the moist sweet kiss.

Releasing his mouth from Jakotsu's, Bankotsu smiled at his lover. "See, they won't hear us if we continue like this," he said.

Jakotsu smirked. "Oh, don't be so sure of that," he said seductively. He lifted Bankotsu up and the tossed him to the ground. He then flipped him over and lay over his back. He started to caress Bankotsu's arms. "Try not to make any noise, Ō-Aniki," he said.

He started at Bankotsu's neck, planting a trail of kisses down his spine. Bankotsu felt Jakotsu slowly slip his pants to his knees. "Oh shit," he said. Slowly but surely, he felt Jakotsu within him. Bankotsu tugged the grass with his hands and bit his lip to stifle his moans. Jakotsu started to speed up, his sweat dropping onto Bankotsu's back.

"Jakotsu," he whispered. Both of them started to breath heavily. "You can't…do this…you know how…I get," Bankotsu said between rapid uneven gasps.

"I'm…just testing you…Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said.

Bankotsu started to quietly moan. The sweat from his face was dropping into his open mouth and he kept pulling at the grass. "Jakotsu…you have to…stop," he struggled to say.

Jakotsu became curious despite the situation. "Why," he said, slowing down.

Bankotsu felt Jakotsu leave his body and he flipped over so the two of them were face to face and on top of Jakotsu. "Because it's my turn to have some fun," he said, returning his mouth to Jakotsu's.

Despite the rest of the group being behind the trees, Bankotsu still felt the need to continue his playtime with Jakotsu. He felt Jakotsu's sweaty body up against his own and he moved his hand down to Jakotsu's waist.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said within Bankotsu's mouth.

"What," Bankotsu said, oblivious to the world.

"I think it's time to stop."

Bankotsu looked at Jakotsu with confusion. He noticed an odd look in Jakotsu's eyes. He then turned slightly and looked in the direction where Jakotsu's eyes were pointed.

"Am I interrupting something?" Renkotsu asked, standing above the two lovers.

Franticly, Bankotsu stood up from his position and pulled his pants up to his waist. Jakotsu's face turned bright red and he pulled his yukata over his exposed body.

"Renkotsu," Bankotsu said. "Didn't I tell you that I was going to go to sleep?"

Renkotsu examined the situation with cold eyes. "That's what I thought you said, until I heard…_questionable_ noises coming from this direction," he said, facing Bankotsu. He glared into his new leader's eyes.

"Well, I should be assured that the events you saw tonight will remain where you saw them…here," Bankotsu said, returning Renkotsu's ominous glare.

"Ō-Aniki," Renkotsu started to say. He looked down at Jakotsu and back at Bankotsu, smiling evilly. "Have a good night."

He turned and left, leaving the two lovers alone for the rest of the night. Bankotsu sighed and fell to the ground. "I can't believe that happened."

Jakotsu threw his yukata over his shoulders and tied it shut with his obi and then sighed. "Why'd you choose him for our group, O-Aniki," he said, lying down on the ground.

Bankotsu laughed. "It's because he's smart. You've listened to him talk; he sounds like he knows everything," he said. He threw his head back and gazed at the stars through the tree tops. "And he's strong, Jakotsu, but not enough to worry about. I've seen him fight; he's almost as strong as me…but not quite."

He closed his eyes and started to drift off. Jakotsu started to say something to him, but it was too late; Bankotsu was already fast asleep.

* * *

Did you like it? Hate it? Wanna review for me? Thanx! Just 2 more chapters!


	4. Chapter 4

Yeah, so this is **CHAPTER** **4**! Yes! And...to top it all off, I'm listenin' to _Journey_! Yup...oh, and BTW, I technically had all of these chapters written LONG AGO, but I just didn't want to post the story without finishing the whole story...I'm OCD like that.

Disclaimin' - I do **NOT** own Banko, Jako, the 7-nintai, or any of that other fun crap...Rumiko Takahashi does. BTW, I'm exponentially tired...it's tech week for my school's musical...and I'll be dead all week. You'll be luck if the rest of the story is posted. Oh...and this chapter contains **blood**, **violence**, some **language**, and maybe the possible **yaoi**...it's not so strong in this chapter...this has been _Erbby_!

* * *

Over the course of the next six months, the team of five had already found the last remaining men. First, they found a giant in the forests of the northern most point of the mainland. There had been rumors of a terrifying youkai in that area, but the rumors didn't live up to their hype when Bankotsu defeated the monstrous man in battle. He was then added to the group as Kyoukotsu, leaving one more man to find.

In a village on the eastern shore of the mainland, people were dropping like flies due to strange gaseous fogs appearing in the area. The six man group found it to be this odd little man with poisonous concoctions of all sorts. He was soon called Mukotsu once he joined the group. Now it was final; the _Shichinintai_, as Bankotsu decided, was ready for the strongest mercenaries in the land.

* * *

They were all together, all seven of them. It was the perfect number; seven of Japan's strongest men, united to prove their strength to the world and make a little money on the side. Bankotsu scanned his "brothers." He was the youngest; however he knew he was the strongest.

"Let's go," he said with extreme confidence. He began to walk forwards, listening to the twelve feet trailing behind him. He gave a silent laugh. He wondered who would become their first victims. It didn't matter, as long as they were victims.

"Ō-Aniki," Renkotsu said to Bankotsu, pointing to a small, humble village. Bankotsu was prepared to view his target, joy filling his face; it would make perfect practice for them. That is, until he saw the village. It looked disturbingly familiar. He gasped and quickly turned his head to Jakotsu, whose face held no emotion.

"Let's go," Jakotsu said, leading the other men into the village. Bankotsu ran up to Jakotsu, leaning into him.

"Jakotsu, this is…" Bankotsu started.

"I know, and I'm ready to kill them," he said, a devilish smile spreading across his face. Bankotsu stopped walking, watching Jakotsu continue with excitement and vigor. Bankotsu was then startled by a hand on his shoulder.

"Ō-Aniki," Suikotsu said. Bankotsu turned his head and looked into Suikotsu's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Bankotsu said, shaking his head. He took in a deep breath and ran up ahead of Jakotsu. His home village had never looked so repelling. He never hoped on returning, but he knew what Jakotsu had to do; Bankotsu knew it would be best for Jakotsu.

Bankotsu stopped walking and turned around, facing his comrades. He tightened his grip on Banryuu. "Boys, separate," he said. His brothers smiled and split up, preparing to wreak havoc upon the weak village. Bankotsu placed his hand on Jakotsu's shoulder. They were both shaking. "Nervous?" Bankotsu asked him.

Jakotsu let out a laugh from under his breath. "Nope…just excited, Ō-Aniki," he said, staring into Bankotsu's eyes. "You're the only one who knows how long I've wanted to do this."

Jakotsu started to walk towards a grouping of houses, Bankotsu trailing behind him. Jakotsu stopped at one small dwelling and turned to face Bankotsu. He took in a deep breath. "Here goes nothing," he said, and walked into the small, deprived house.

Inside the house there sat a woman on the floor with two young children and a small infant huddled in her arms. She sighed deeply.

"Well, what do you know," said a strange voice within the room.

She lifted up her head, spotting to human figures in the shadows. She also saw the slight shine of large weapon. She started to tremble. "Who are you," she said, her voice fading.

The strange voice laughed. "Don't you remember your own brother, Haru?" Jakotsu said, stepping into the dimmed light.

Haru gasped. Her eyes widened and began to fill with tears. She placed her infant child on the ground and ran up to Jakotsu, embracing her younger brother.

"Oh, Jakotsu! It's been so long!" she said.

Jakotsu stared blankly at the wall. "Six years, Haru, six years," he said with no emotion in his voice.

Haru grabbed her brother's shoulders and took a good look at his face. "You've…changed so much, Jakotsu. I never would've guessed that it was you," she said. She slowly turned her head to the other human figure with the shining weapon. "And…who is that?"

The figure laughed and began to walk into view. "So, Haru, how's the father of your children," Bankotsu said, smirking.

She gasped and fell to the floor. "No, no, no, no, no," she kept chanting to herself, covering her ears.

Bankotsu pulled her off the ground and stared into her traumatized eyes. "So, I guess you've been raped three times," he said, false sympathy filling his voice. He tossed her to the wall and closed in on her. "Let's try to shoot for four," he said softly. He slowly brought his face into hers and began to kiss her intensely.

Jakotsu rolled his eyes, looking at his brother and sister. "Ō-Aniki, must you?" he said.

Bankotsu looked back at Jakotsu. "Well, I have to distract her, don't I?"

Jakotsu laughed and stared down at his sister's three children. The oldest was a boy, almost six years old. The three year old girl cradled the young infant in her arms. "So, how does Oba-sama treat you," he said to the boy.

The boy gasped and started to cry. He looked away from Jakotsu and stared at the other room. "Oba-sama is sick. She's been sick since my younger sister was born," he said.

Jakotsu grabbed the boy's face and stared into his eyes. "But did she ever hurt you?" he said sternly.

The boy burst into tears and collapsed to the ground. Jakotsu stood up and stared down at the boy. "I'm guessing that's a 'yes,'" he said. He reached back for his Jakotsutou and removed it from its sheath.

Suddenly, Jakotsu heard pleasurable moaning from the corner of the room. He looked over at Haru and Bankotsu. Bankotsu was struggling against Haru.

"Uh, Jakotsu," Bankotsu said. "Your sister…well, let's just say _I'm_ the victim here." Haru's nails succeeded in piercing through Bankotsu's armor, digging into his back.

Jakotsu rolled his eyes once more. "Hold on, Ō-Aniki. I'll get her in just a moment," he said, turning his face back to the frightened children. He snickered. "Don't you worry, I'll release you from that bitch's pain," he said. He flicked his wrist, and in a slight squeal, the children were dead.

Haru looked over in the direction of the screams and saw her children dead by Jakotsu's very own hand. She widened her eyes and pushed Bankotsu off of her. "NO!" she yelled, running to the dead bodies.

"Finally," Bankotsu said, shaking the blood drops from his back. He looked over at Jakotsu. "Man, she's a monster."

Haru looked up at the two men that she once knew as children. "You're the monsters! The both of you, how could you ever do this to innocent people?" she asked, tears pouring from her eyes.

Jakotsu started to tense up and literally exploded. "Innocent? You call yourself innocent?" he said.

Bankotsu stared at Jakotsu. He could feel the anger, the hate, and the pain. He knew about the abuse and trauma Jakotsu went through as a child. He knew that Jakotsu was right. Haru _wasn't_ innocent; she only stood at the sidelines and witnessed the abuse of her two brothers. "Jakotsu," he said softly.

Haru stood up, anger filling her face. "And you think you're any more innocent? Killing children is not…" she began, but was ceased by Jakotsu's blade. She fell to the ground, her left shoulder bleeding immensely. She stared up at Jakotsu. "Jakotsu, your own sister…"

Jakotsu snickered underneath his breath. "Bitch, you think the word 'sister' suits you? A sister is a loved one who consoles you and you did nothing like that. You just stared at the pain Kioshi and I suffered through and continued living as Haha-ue's gift of god. I bet you did the same when she hurt your son," he said.

"Jakotsu…" she said.

Jakotsu lifted his sword above his head. "Be sure to greet Haha-ue when she makes it to Hell," he said, delivering the final blow to his "sister."

Bankotsu caught the scent of smoke. He ran to the door and stared outside, watching his home village burn. "Well, I guess Renkotsu's done," he said. He walked over to Jakotsu and placed his hand on his tormented friend's shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" he said.

Jakotsu turned his head to Bankotsu, smiling. "I guess it's time to give Hell back their ruler. I bet they're missing her," he said, walking through the door into the other room.

"Ō-Aniki," Renkotsu said from outside the house. "What are you doing in here?"

Bankotsu looked back at his comrades. "Just wait outside for a while, okay guys," he said, following Jakotsu into the other room.

There she was, lying on the ground. It was obvious she was sick; it looked like she wouldn't make it past winter. Bankotsu stood next to Jakotsu, who was staring down at his hateful mother.

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu began to say.

Jakotsu shook his head. "Ō-Aniki, I need to do this," he said. Suddenly, he kicked the dying woman and she awoke, startled.

She slowly opened her eyes and searched the room for the culprit. She spotted Jakotsu and stared at him for a while. "Who…" she started, and then her eyes widened and her teeth clenched. "Jakotsu!"

Jakotsu smiled evil. "Long time, no see, Haha-ue," he said, waving his hand.

She was weak, yet the sight of her son made her stronger. "Why did you come back?" she yelled.

Jakotsu started to laugh uncontrollably. "Oh, Haha-ue, you're so funny!" He reached back for his sword and unsheathed it, placing it into his mother's view. Haru's blood dripped from the sword and onto Ruri's face.

"You killed her, didn't you," she said with no emotion. "You killed your own sister."

"Yes, Haha-ue, Haru and her children are dead. They'll be waiting for your arrival any moment, now," he said.

"You wouldn't," his mother said, rage filling her eyes.

The same rage filled Jakotsu, raising his sword. "Die, you hateful bitch," he said, bringing his sword down to her neck.

The roof suddenly exploded. Bankotsu looked up and then out the door. "Damn Renkotsu," he said. Staring back at Jakotsu, he witnessed the gruesome butchery of the old woman. However, the sounds of her dead were odd; it seemed as if she was laughing.

Jakotsu's arm kept slamming up and down, splattering his mother's blood all over the walls. Suddenly, Renkotsu's fires started crawling from the ceiling down the walls.

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu yelled through the flames. "You're done, okay?"

Jakotsu's angered face kept staring down and his sword was still chopping up the remains of his mother.

"No, Ō-Aniki, not until I know she's dead," he yelled.

Bankotsu looked around the burning room. If they stayed in there any longer, the Shichinintai wouldn't have a leader. "That's it," he said. He ran up to Jakotsu, who was still destroying the body, and took him in his arms. Running up to a wall, he kicked it out and ran out of the home. He fell to the ground on top of Jakotsu, who was still yelling.

"Ō-Aniki, I could've finished her!"

Bankotsu stood up with Jakotsu still in his arms, looking at the home. It collapsed into itself, the fire eating up its remains. "The fire would've finished you first," he said.

Jakotsu started yelling and kicking. "I'm not done," he said over and over.

Bankotsu rolled his eyes and spotted his other brothers running out of the village.

"Ō-Aniki," he heard Suikotsu yell.

Bankotsu shook his head, running out of the village and into the forest, far from his other comrades.

* * *

Bankotsu slammed Jakotsu's twitching body against a tree. "What the hell is wrong with you? You just killed her," Bankotsu said, trying to look into Jakotsu's moving eyes.

"No, no, no! She's still not dead yet," Jakotsu said, squirming out of his friend's grip. "I have to go back! Let me go!"

Bankotsu couldn't take it anymore. It was obvious that the torture his friend went through was still lodged in the back of his mind.

"Let me go, Bankotsu Ō-Aniki, I'm not done," he kept yelling.

Finding no other therapy, Bankotsu quickly slammed his mouth against Jakotsu. The squirming and twitching subsided and Jakotsu stared into Bankotsu's closed eyes. Once Bankotsu's kiss ended, Jakotsu's head fell onto his brother's shoulder.

Bankotsu held his friend in his arms, rubbing his back. "There, you calm now?"

Jakotsu's started to sob uncontrollably. "Ō-Aniki," he said through his yelps. "I can still feel it, I can still feel it."

Bankotsu held Jakotsu's limp body to the tree. He stared into his friend's tear filled eyes. "What?"

"I can still feel the pain, and it hurts worse now than it ever did before. Why? I just killed her, it should go away," he said, gazing into Bankotsu's eyes.

Bankotsu opened his mouth, ready to say something, but Jakotsu took the chance to kiss Bankotsu tenderly. "Ō-Aniki," he said. "Just for one more night."

"What," Bankotsu said.

Jakotsu raised his head and looked Bankotsu intensely in the eyes. "I know what's going to happen. Soon, this entire mercenary thing will get to your head, and you'll forget all about me," he said.

Bankotsu laughed nervously. "No, I won't," he stared. "You'll be there with me, right?"

Jakotsu shook his head. "Not the way I used to be. You'll forget about me, about us, and you won't see me as your lover but as your brother. So, just for one last time, tonight," he said.

Jakotsu wrapped his arms around Bankotsu waist and the both of them fell to the ground. The cackled of the fiery village in the distance disappeared and a final night of love was meshed in with the forest.

* * *

Yeah...sorry for the disappointing, not-really-much-yaoi-there-bitch...well, this chapter was mostly about Jakotsu and his "inner-demons" and was too violent/emotional for actual hot boy-boy action...sue me...i don't care...i'm tired...complain in the reviews...erbby 


	5. Chapter 5

So...this is the **FINAL** **CHAPTER** of my Shichinintai story. It's been fun. Now, just remember...I own **NOTHING**! It all belongs to Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha, Bankotsu, Jakotsu, Shichinintai). Just enjoy and be wary of **violence**, **language**, and _slight_ shonen**-ai/yaoi.**

-Farewell from Erbby

* * *

"Is he drunk?" Bankotsu heard Suikotsu say from above.

"Pretty much, Ō-Aniki got a bit excited last night and went all out," Jakotsu said, laughing.

"How juvenile," Renkotsu said.

"Aw, come one, Renkotsu, don't tell me you don't like an occasional sake," Jakotsu said.

Bankotsu tried to open his heavy eyelids, but failed. Not only his eyelids, but his entire body felt heavy. There also seemed to be a slight breeze through the air.

"Yeah, but at least I don't embarrass myself like he does. What possessed him to strip down, anyway," Renkotsu said.

Suddenly, Bankotsu's body became as light as air and he jolted from the ground. Opening his eyes, he saw his comrades staring at him. He looked down and saw that his body was almost completely exposed, with the exception of a white sheet covering him.

"What…happened," he asked, trying to remember the events of the previous night, but all attempts lead to a head ache.

Jakotsu laughed. "You just got a bit excited, found some sake, and put on a little show for some of us," he said, reaching his hand out.

"Really," Bankotsu said, resting his head in his right hand.

Jakotsu smiled and nodded. "Come on, Ō-Aniki, you're a bit too young to be drinking too much. Let me help you up."

Bankotsu took Jakotsu's hand and held the white sheet where around his waist. "Where're my clothes," he asked.

"We got 'em, don't worry," Suikotsu said.

Jakotsu helped his Ō-Aniki onto his back. "Where should we go?"

"I don't know, wherever. Just make sure no one sees me like this, it's embarrassing," Bankotsu said, lying on Jakotsu's back. He closed his eyes and tried to remember what happened last night, for the scent of Jakotsu seemed strangely nostalgic.

* * *

"So, this is the village affiliated with that army?" Bankotsu said, staring down the mountain. 

"Yes, Ō-Aniki, and it seems that they know of our presence," Renkotsu said, pointing to men ready to fight.

Bankotsu laughed under his breath. "Well, if Akimaru-sama wants us to fight them, we might as well fight. Brothers, let's go!"

The Shichinintai charged towards the village and attacked the anxious army. As per usual, the seven men destroyed the entire one hundred plus strong army prepared to fight. Then they attacked the village. Akimaru, the daimyo the Shichinintai were serving today, told them that many of the villagers were spies and that the entire village must be burnt down.

"Which homes should I burn, Ō-Aniki," Renkotsu said.

"All of them. Not one should be left standing," he said. He turned his head to attack a villager, only to see one of his comrades lying on the ground. "Suikotsu," he yelled, slicing the villager in half. He ran to his comrade and stared into his eyes. They seemed different than usual. Suikotsu looked like his was going to burst into an uncontrollable rage.

"Jakotsu, get over here," Bankotsu screamed.

Jakotsu ran towards his brother as to which he was ordered. "What is it, Bankotsu Ō-Aniki?"

"Take Suikotsu away from here. He looks like he's going to snap," he said, and returned to his fighting station.

Jakotsu nodded at Bankotsu's back and held Suikotsu over his shoulder. "Let's get you out of here," he said. He looked at Suikotsu's face, which was covered in beads of sweat. His eyes were wide and were scanning the area like crazy.

Jakotsu ran into the nearby grouping of trees and sat Suikotsu down. Suikotsu seemed to have calmed down and was breathing steadily. "What happened to you back there," Jakotsu said.

Suikotsu looked up at the sky and laughed. "I guess a part of me wanted to come out," he said in a tone strange to Jakotsu's ears. It was calm and almost gentle, very unlike the Suikotsu of the Shichinintai that Jakotsu knew.

"What are you talking about," Jakotsu asked, leaning into Suikotsu.

Suikotsu shook his head and brought his sight to the ground. "Do you have any weaknesses, Jakotsu?"

Jakotsu was taken aback. Of course he did, every human has a weakness. "Well, yeah, I suppose," he said, unsure of at what Suikotsu was trying to get.

"Those children…I just couldn't do it," Suikotsu softly said.

Jakotsu leaned in even closer to Suikotsu. His voice was so quiet and meek, and his face was soft and almost innocent.

"My weakness…is a child. I just can't help but grow soft when I see a child. There was a small group of them, and I almost attacked them. I almost…killed them," Suikotsu said, starting to tear. "There was so much fear in their eyes and I almost killed them. But my weakness kicked in…giving them a chance to get back into their home."

Suikotsu went silent. Jakotsu kept a steady stare on his friend. He felt that the story wasn't over with.

"Renkotsu-Aniki…burnt down all of the homes," Suikotsu finally said. Jakotsu leaned back and let out a snicker.

"Yeah, I got a weakness," he said. "But my problem is a bit bigger than yours."

Suikotsu looked at Jakotsu, his murderous nature returning. "What," he said.

Jakotsu closed his eyes and fell back onto the ground. He opened his eyes and stared at the stars above his head. "My weakness…is Ō-Aniki."

_Jakotsu's memory took him to a time right before the formation of the Shichinintai. He and Bankotsu were still searching for members, and Bankotsu hadn't been corrupted yet; he still loved Jakotsu more than anything. _

"_So, what kind of people should we have in this group, Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu asked. _

_Bankotsu laughed. "Strong men, of course. We can't form a mercenary group without exceptionally strong men," he said._

_Jakotsu suddenly saw someone in the distance, a young man. Blocking the sun out of his eyes, Jakotsu placed his handed above his brow to get a better look. "Oh, how about him, Ō-Aniki! He looks like a good specimen," he said, licking his lips. He started towards the man, but then felt a pull on his sleeve. He looked back to see Bankotsu's brooding face._

"_What's he good for," Bankotsu said. _

_Jakotsu smiled and laughed at his companion. "Ō-Aniki, is that jealousy that I hear?"_

_Bankotsu took Jakotsu into him and gave him a deep kiss. "It's not jealousy. I just don't want you to flock to someone else," he said, leaning his head on Jakotsu's shoulder._

_Jakotsu placed his hand on Bankotsu's head. "Yes it is, Ō-Aniki, but I'll forgive you." _

"He's completely absorbed by this idea of strength and power, I'm afraid that he sometimes forgets about us," Jakotsu said and paused for a while. "But, you know, Suikotsu," he started again.

Suikotsu looked over. "What?"

Jakotsu giggled and stood up, his head to the sky. "I'm happy that he's finally found his niche. If he's happy, then so am I," he looked down at Suikotsu and smiled.

Suikotsu returned the gesture, and they walked back to the battle grounds.

* * *

The village sweep was a success, but oddly, Akimaru-sama was not there to pay the Shichinintai. Instead, the group brushed off the lack of payment and decided to hang around under a nearby cliff with some sake.

"What a day," Bankotsu said, sighing after much conversation with his comrades.

Suddenly, a herd of footsteps approached the group. Renkotsu stood from his seat on the ground.

"Looks like someone wants to fight us," he said, smirking.

Bankotsu threw his head back and stood up, grabbing the hilt of his Banryuu. "Don't they know that I'm tired," he said sighing. Suddenly, he smiled and was about to approach the enemy, until another herd of footsteps came from the other direction.

"Ō-Aniki," Suikotsu shouted.

Bankotsu turned his head, and saw, not one, but three other armies. "What is this," he said.

"Shichinintai," said the head samurai of the largest army, which was standing atop the cliff. "It is time to end your reign of blood and terror."

"What," Bankotsu said, looking around. This wasn't the first time they were out numbered; the Shichinintai always fought large armies. But this wasn't a battle; it was an ambush.

"Fire," the samurai shouted, and a storm of arrows shot towards the Shichinintai.

Running away, the Shichinintai amazingly evaded every single arrow. "Where are we going to go, Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu asked.

"The mountain up north," he said, pointing. The rest of the group nodded and followed Bankotsu up the slope through the flock of arrows.

The Shichinintai made it to the snowy mountain, but the four armies were close behind and eventually caught up enough to take down and kill Kyoukotsu with many blows of arrows to his head.

"Shit," Bankotsu said.

"Ō-Aniki," Jakotsu said from behind him. "I can't keep running."

"Damn it, Jakotsu," he responded. "We can't die here. We have to keep on running." Bankotsu quickened his pace, but to no avail. The armies had caught up to the remaining six murders; they each were shot in the back with arrows. The Shichinintai fell to the ground and the head samurai approached the Bankotsu. The other samurai in the armies subdued the rest of the Shichinintai.

"No more running, Bankotsu. Your days of murder are over," he said. He smirked with his next sentence. "And just to add to your suffering, we will kill each of your comrades before your very eyes."

Bankotsu's eyes widened as two large men grabbed hold of Ginkotsu and Mukotsu. He saw as swords came down to their necks. Remarkably, Ginkotsu's head came off cleanly, like Mukotsu's.

"Ginkotsu!" Renkotsu screamed. "You bastards," he said, as a man came towards him with a sword. His eyes widened with fear. "N-no, I don't want to die! Don't kill me!"

"Well, maybe you should've thought twice before joining this group," the man said.

"No, it's not my fault! I was threatened to join! I don't deserve death," he screamed, the sword flying down to his neck. Suddenly, his cries were silenced.

Bankotsu stared at Renkotsu's headless body. "Coward," he whispered to himself. The next brother to be executed was Suikotsu. Bankotsu watched him struggle and then kept a firm stare when his head fell to the ground. He closed his eyes in mourning.

"You seem quite somber," the head samurai said to Bankotsu.

He gave a small chuckle. "I'm watching the lives of my comrades suddenly end, and I know that there's no more hope for me. What else would you expect?"

The head samurai kept a stern look on the young leader and then gestured for Jakotsu's death.

The man holding Jakotsu bent him down over the snow. "Hey, be gentle," Jakotsu said, smiling. The swordsman approached him and he looked over at Bankotsu, smiling. "Good-bye, Ō-Aniki. It's been fun," he said, loud enough for Bankotsu's ears. He closed his eyes, prepared for his end.

Bankotsu watched in horror as he realized, not only did he just witness the death of his closest friend, but his lover as well. "No, Jakotsu," he screamed. He started to struggle, angry at Jakotsu's demise.

The head samurai looked at Bankotsu, surprised. "Why do you mourn his death more than the others," he asked.

Bankotsu looked up at him, anger filling every pore on his face. He stared into the samurai's eyes for a long time before letting his head fall. "Just get this over with. I have no reason to live anymore," he said.

The samurai held out his hand, waiting for the sword. He grasped the hilt and held it above Bankotsu's head. "Now, Bankotsu of the Shichinintai, I will end your pathetic life of cruel and heartless murder," he said.

Bankotsu looked up, watching the sword fall down to his neck and screamed.

* * *

The slice was quick and painless; Bankotsu and the rest of the Shichinintai were dead. They lived a life of blood and violence, but also of love. Only Renkotsu knew of the actual love that his Ō-Aniki shared with Jakotsu, but he didn't understand the meaning behind it. In death, the Shichinintai would wait ten years, before they got the chance to experience life once more, under the control of a youkai named Naraku.

THE END

* * *

There...it's fianlly over after A YEAR AND A HALF! I hope you enjoyed it. If so, review...now I can work on my Death Note Fanfic...I'M COMIN', MELLO-BABY! 


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